Google would like Apple's iOS Maps to go away, but the latest builds of iOS 7 show that Cupertino is working to deliver significant new improvements to its mapping app while also adding deep integration of Maps throughout iOS and with Macs running OS X Mavericks.

Source: Apple

Full Screen Maps

One new feature in Apple Maps, noted by AppleInsider reader Vesko Kateliev, is its full screen mode, which erases all of the user interface chrome to present the largest possible view.

While similar to Safari's full screen view (which hides the URL bar and search fields as users scroll down), iOS 7 Maps takes full screen literally full screen, making even the top status bar disappear. Note too that when scaling the map, a distance legend briefly appears (top left of image on right, below), then vanishes.

iOS 7 Maps, full screen

The revamped iOS 7 Maps app already expands the apparent field of view by making use of translucency in its search bar and new lower toolbar in both Standard and Satellite or Flyover modes (below).

iOS 7 Maps, translucent chrome

In either mode however, a purposeful touch of the map makes the UI go away entirely. Pinching or dragging a finger across the screen doesn't hide or show the UI chrome; you have to touch the map to take it full screen, and it says full screen until you deliberately tap the map again.

Full screen mode works with standard, satellite or hybrid maps in either 2D or 3D, allowing you to peruse maps using all the pixels you have.

More brilliant chrome

Apple has also enhanced the chrome itself. Across the top, the Directions button works the same as previously, offering driving, walking or transit routes (which continues to make use of helper apps, as it does in iOS 6).

The Search field also works as expected, although Apple now auto-suggests locations it has highlighted in recent emails or messages (below) via Apple Data Detectors. Bookmarks is unchanged, except for gaining the new iOS 7 appearance.

At the bottom of the screen, rather than just presenting Location and 3D/Flyover buttons and hiding other options behind a dogeared corner, Maps now presents a toolbar with four buttons: Location, 3D/Flyover, Sharing, and an Info button that brings up an options sheet.

Location & Compass

Each of these has changed slightly. For example, the Location button loses its former purple tint when activated; it now just turns solid to indicate your current location, and points upward to show you're in compass mode.

iOS 7 Maps, location & compass

While in compass mode, Maps also now presents a compass indicator with an N for north, rather than the more abstract double arrow with a red end pointing north. As previously, touching the compass sets the map orientation to North and it disappears.

3D/Flyover

The 3D/Flyover button also works the same as it does in iOS 6, entering a 3D perspective view of the map when touched in either Standard or Satellite/Hybrid mode.

You can also enter 3D mode with a two fingered, vertical drag gesture, but providing the button makes it easier and more evident how to jump into this mode, if you're not aware of the necessary gesture to invoke it.

iOS 7 Maps, Flyover label

However, in iOS 7 it now pops up a "Flyover" text label when you are in satellite mode and at a zoom level and in a region where you can enter Flyover (above), making the feature more obvious and prominent. Flyover looks particularly cool in Full Screen mode.

Sharing & Bookmarking

A prominent new Sharing button brings up the standard iOS 7 share sheet, with options to share a location via AirDrop, Messages, Mail, Twitter or Facebook or to add a Bookmark.

iOS 7 Maps, Sharing

Emailing a location involves sending a maps.apple.com URL with its coordinates, something that opens in Apple's Maps on iOS or OS X Mavericks, or for web-based users, resolves to a Google Maps URL they can look up.

An emailed location also attaches a "loc.vcf" vCard file, which is a small, standard structured file that includes the same coordinates, sort of like a contact record that only supplies a GPS location.

If you've looked up Directions to a location, iOS 7 Maps also offers to share the directions to a nearby friend via AirDrop.

Previously, you could only share a location in iOS 6 Maps by selecting a pin, opening its info page, clicking on share location to open another sheet, and then selecting one of the sharing options.

Location Information

Replacing the whimsical dogeared corner of previous incarnations of the Maps apps, Apple now uses an information button to pop up options for switching between Standard, Hybrid and Satellite views or to Drop a Pin, Print Map via AirPrint, Report a Problem and Show/Hide traffic.

iOS 7 Maps, Info & Yelp

If you select a pin representing a location known to Yelp, you get the same information presented in iOS 6, including business contact info, Yelp reviews and photos; hours of operation; delivery, reservations and kid-friendly notes; and options to create a contact, bookmark or report problems.

New in iOS 7, apart from a clearer presentation, is a default link to transit directions and a the "popular apps nearby" feature, which links to location-relevant apps. This is particularly helpful in places where the establishment has a custom app, or there are site-specific apps in common use, for example, the Uber car service in San Francisco.

Directions preferences, options

Maps includes a new preference in Settings for "Preferred Directions," letting you choose the default between Driving or Walking. If you pick the latter, locations you select will get the walking man icon rather than the car for one touch walking directions.

iOS 7 Maps, Direction defaults

Once you enter directions mode, the same Route Overview button (now in the lower toolbar next to the Sharing button) presents you with step by step directions, albeit with more precise directional icons rather than the more cartoony, "road sign" style arrows of iOS 6.

The same, simpler direction panels are presented along your route in place of the former green roadsigns with highway style skeuomorphism. While giving directions, Maps also now presents the estimated trip duration, remaining distance and arrival time at the top of the display as well as on the Lock Screen, so you don't have to do the math in your head.

iOS 7 Maps, Direction Signs

Another nice improvement in directions is that you can now zoom out further and pan around more while in GPS directions mode; iOS 6 locked the presentation into a very constrained view that often made it hard to see where the next turn would be.

In iOS 7, you can interact with the map via pinching to see around corners and spy out the landscape ahead, then pop back into "you are here" mode where you are centered in the map and and north is up. This still prevents you from navigating out to a "lost" zoom location where you have to manually zoom back into your current location.

You can also control the volume of Siri voice controls right within the app. While the main Siri volume preference is in Settings, a new volume button lets you change the relative volume of Siri's voice feedback independently of the system volume, so it doesn't shout too loud over your background music, for example.

iOS 7 Maps, Direction defaults

There's also a new Night Mode that automatically activates when you're driving in the dark. It presents a darker grey background rather than a bright white map, similar to many auto navigation systems.

System integration

Rather than just replacing Google Maps with its own service, Apple is using its new mapping services throughout iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks to provide map previews of locations in apps like Mail, Contacts and Calendar, drawing upon traffic information to calculate travel time to an appointment, for example.

Source: Apple

Lastly, iOS 7 Maps also features new integration with OS X Mavericks, allowing users to send locations and directions to their iOS 7 device via a push notification. Apple's new Maps app for Macs also feature expanded error reporting tools to leverage crowdsourcing in order to improve its mapping service, search results, location information and directions

That's all well and good, but the interface Maps has (on iOS) is already impressive. The problem is the search facility is awful. It's taken me to places that don't exist so many times that I only use Google Maps now.

In terms of the version for the Mac, having just started using a new beta of Google Maps in a browser, Apple have a fight on their hands here. The new Google Maps is very impressive.

Sounds good, but they will still be almost useless to those of use without cars or those of us that live in cities outside of the USA.

Maps needs transit information, bike route information, and proper walking directions to be useful to anyone who doesn't drive a car. It has none of these at the moment and based on this review is not adding them to the product this year either.

It's great to have the new default walking setting, because doing the route, changing it to walking instead of the current default to cars, and then having to re-route a second time gets old really fast. Unfortunately, the "walking" directions are not really walking directions at all, but merely car directions with a longer time frame noted in the "how long ail it take" part. For instance in most non-american cities, cars are actively slowed down and "calmed" by means of blockades and "no through" routes. An intersection of two streets is often turned into two "L" turns so that cars can only turn one way, but people can easily walk through this same intersection. Apple maps ail route you blocks out of your way on walking directions because it takes intersections like this and assumes that if a car can't get through, then a person can't either.

Also, in most non US cities, there are extensive bike routes where cars are not allowed, but Apple maps makes no mention of these at all. Transit routes also aren't marked at all in my city despite it being the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. Rapid transit stations are noted but are literally several blocks from where they actually are. The boundaries of parks are still off by blocks, despite being reported multiple times. It's just a dog's breakfast of bad information that isn't updated frequently enough.

I have dozens of friends who have regularly submitted corrections and updates to Apple maps since day one, myself included and have yet to see a single one of these actually make it to the map. This is a very large, urban metropolitan area in North America. I pity someone who lives in some more far flung place.

They either shouldn't have taken on maps at all, or they should do it right. Google has thousands of employees around the world who's only task is to update this information. I would be surprised if Apple's maps team is even as large as the app store submission team and we know how small that group is don't we?

That's all well and good, but the interface Maps has (on iOS) is already impressive. The problem is the search facility is awful. It's taken me to places that don't exist so many times that I only use Google Maps now.

In terms of the version for the Mac, having just started using a new beta of Google Maps in a browser, Apple have a fight on their hands here. The new Google Maps is very impressive.

Agreed.

I need concrete proof Apple has improved Maps DATA with this release and not just the LOOK.

As you said Maps looks great but we need improved data as well as directions. Maybe Apple should partner with MapQuest or even Yahoo but the ways I've gotten lost with Maps is unacceptable.

I cannot trust the app to be my default app after last week when I used it to give me directions to a county library and instead I ended up at a trailer park in the wrong part of town. Unacceptable. I had to use Google to get me to the right place.

That's all well and good, but the interface Maps has (on iOS) is already impressive. The problem is the search facility is awful. It's taken me to places that don't exist so many times that I only use Google Maps now.

In terms of the version for the Mac, having just started using a new beta of Google Maps in a browser, Apple have a fight on their hands here. The new Google Maps is very impressive.

Yeah I think Apple still has a lot of work to do on the data size. But I think they need to double down on it. I don't think a world where Google dominates everything is good.

Yeah I think Apple still has a lot of work to do on the data size. But I think they need to double down on it. I don't think a world where Google dominates everything is good.

There were many great mapping companies before Google.

Why didn't Apple partner or buy one of those companies? Even Yahoo has been in the mapping game far longer than Google. Why doesn't Apple announce a partnership with them just like they have with Yahoo Weather?

What about MapQuest? Garmin? Rand McNally? AAA? Hell even Microsoft?

I'm sure there are more out there that Apple could use to improve their product. I'd really like to hear an announcement or a partnership on that front this fall.

Sounds good, but they will still be almost useless to those of use without cars or those of us that live in cities outside of the USA.

Maps needs transit information, bike route information, and proper walking directions to be useful to anyone who doesn't drive a car. It has none of these at the moment and based on this review is not adding them to the product this year either.

It's great to have the new default walking setting, because doing the route, changing it to walking instead of the current default to cars, and then having to re-route a second time gets old really fast. Unfortunately, the "walking" directions are not really walking directions at all, but merely car directions with a longer time frame noted in the "how long ail it take" part. For instance in most non-american cities, cars are actively slowed down and "calmed" by means of blockades and "no through" routes. An intersection of two streets is often turned into two "L" turns so that cars can only turn one way, but people can easily walk through this same intersection. Apple maps ail route you blocks out of your way on walking directions because it takes intersections like this and assumes that if a car can't get through, then a person can't either.

Also, in most non US cities, there are extensive bike routes where cars are not allowed, but Apple maps makes no mention of these at all. Transit routes also aren't marked at all in my city despite it being the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. Rapid transit stations are noted but are literally several blocks from where they actually are. The boundaries of parks are still off by blocks, despite being reported multiple times. It's just a dog's breakfast of bad information that isn't updated frequently enough.

I have dozens of friends who have regularly submitted corrections and updates to Apple maps since day one, myself included and have yet to see a single one of these actually make it to the map. This is a very large, urban metropolitan area in North America. I pity someone who lives in some more far flung place.

They either shouldn't have taken on maps at all, or they should do it right. Google has thousands of employees around the world who's only task is to update this information. I would be surprised if Apple's maps team is even as large as the app store submission team and we know how small that group is don't we?

Your copy and paste routine has some issues. First off, Apple Maps aren't restricted to working in the US. I've driven across Europe with them. They work better than Google's when you're working offline, including when you roam into a country where you don't have data service. Apple's vectors continue to work a very long ways without service, while Google's vectors simply don't, and I don't think Google's iOS app supports offline maps yet, making the problem worse to impossible.

Google has some strong search advantages, and has better maps in some places, but it just lost the majority of half of all smarpthones in iOS 6. Apple now has a premium user installed base, so guess whose maps are going to get better, faster? Google also throws up ads in your maps app, which sucks balls.

Apple has better transit routing via local third party apps. Google's simply don't work or don't work well in many major cities. Time to stop beating that horse.

And saying that biking directions are super critical is rather silly too. There are plenty of bike routing apps for iOS. Walking directions in iOS 6 work fine.

The rest of your assumptions are simple inventions. You know nothing about how the App Store or how Apple's Maps group work, how they are staffed, and what they are doing.

Sounds good, but they will still be almost useless to those of use without cars or those of us that live in cities outside of the USA.

Maps needs transit information, bike route information, and proper walking directions to be useful to anyone who doesn't drive a car. It has none of these at the moment and based on this review is not adding them to the product this year either.

It's great to have the new default walking setting, because doing the route, changing it to walking instead of the current default to cars, and then having to re-route a second time gets old really fast. Unfortunately, the "walking" directions are not really walking directions at all, but merely car directions with a longer time frame noted in the "how long ail it take" part. For instance in most non-american cities, cars are actively slowed down and "calmed" by means of blockades and "no through" routes. An intersection of two streets is often turned into two "L" turns so that cars can only turn one way, but people can easily walk through this same intersection. Apple maps ail route you blocks out of your way on walking directions because it takes intersections like this and assumes that if a car can't get through, then a person can't either.

Also, in most non US cities, there are extensive bike routes where cars are not allowed, but Apple maps makes no mention of these at all. Transit routes also aren't marked at all in my city despite it being the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. Rapid transit stations are noted but are literally several blocks from where they actually are. The boundaries of parks are still off by blocks, despite being reported multiple times. It's just a dog's breakfast of bad information that isn't updated frequently enough.

I have dozens of friends who have regularly submitted corrections and updates to Apple maps since day one, myself included and have yet to see a single one of these actually make it to the map. This is a very large, urban metropolitan area in North America. I pity someone who lives in some more far flung place.

They either shouldn't have taken on maps at all, or they should do it right. Google has thousands of employees around the world who's only task is to update this information. I would be surprised if Apple's maps team is even as large as the app store submission team and we know how small that group is don't we?

As great as Jobs was he just didn't get services AT ALL and didn't invest the resources in to it. I hope Cook is doubling down on investments in services. I'd rather not use Google services if I don't have to. So far maps have been working fine for me but I know a lot of people do have issues.